


Cut And Run

by MedicalAssisstanceSpareChange



Category: RWBY
Genre: But of a Different Kind, Current Child Abuse, Gen, Monstra, Past Child Abuse, Tyrian being unsettling without even being there, also a brief glimpse into life on a giant whale made from pure destruction, especially when there's only eight of you., featuring: Salem's torture chamber, i curse like a sailor irl and all my fic characters do too, non-canon compliant, spoilers for Volume Eight, takes place after V8 E2 or E3 i'm not sure which
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28335105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MedicalAssisstanceSpareChange/pseuds/MedicalAssisstanceSpareChange
Summary: Mercury makes a choice that could get him killed. Turns out, a lot of other people made the same choice.
Relationships: Emerald Sustrai & Hazel Rainart, Mercury Black & Emerald Sustrai, Mercury Black & Neopolitan, Mercury Black & Oscar Pine
Comments: 4
Kudos: 101





	Cut And Run

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote the first three quarters of this the night after the episode(s) of Let's Torture Oscar became public, and I finished up the last part and edited it tonight.
> 
> I am so scared and delighted by this show, y'all. I don't even know what I want to happen half the time, I just want to know what comes next.
> 
> Warnings for: descriptions of child abuse, descriptions of some nasty violence involving Grimm and particularly the whale, and just, like, all the typical warnings that would come with a fic where an abused kid escapes a new abusive situation and takes the kid being abused by that situation with him. Sepcifically, mentions of Marcus Black, Salem killing people, and Oscar getting beat tf up by Hazel.
> 
> Also, some slight badass coming-into-her-own Emerald, because I said so.

Mercury was pretty certain this was the stupidest thing he’d thought of, but he was going to do it. Never mind that if he was caught, he’d be cruelly killed; never mind that the only people he knew in the slightest would be after him as soon as he did it. (Although honestly, that latter point didn’t really matter to him - he’d long since distanced himself from Emerald and Cinder, and any affection he’d had for Hazel had vanished the moment the man came back, looking  _ satisfied _ , from beating up a boy younger than Mercury had been when he’d killed his father.)

No, this was monumentally stupid because he was going to get Salem  _ very _ pissed at him, and that alone should have been deterrent enough. He still had nightmares sometimes about the day she’d shattered the palace.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

The torture room was a horrible place - hooks on chains of metal and flesh clanking gently against each other as the gentle, everlasting motions of the whale swayed them, a horrible rhythmic melody that barely reached his ears but still made him uneasy. The hound wasn’t there, thankfully. Probably off getting a walk with Salem; hopefully they’d be out a while. Gods above, why was he doing this again? He’d wanted power, to be on the winning side, to be on top; and here he was, part of the greatest threat to the Atlas, to the world! He was establishing himself as a more reliable and individualized player, one who didn’t need Cinder or Emerald or anyone else to do the jobs he was given. He was succeeding. He was  _ winning _ . 

Why the fuck was he even considering this? What was he thinking? It was a fucking stupid idea, one that was going to get him killed. He looked down from the chains, the skylights and the flesh of the whale, suddenly nauseous. 

Down on the off-white bone floor lay the kid.

Mercury didn’t know much about Oscar. They’d “met” at Haven, when Mercury had been busy fighting the blondie again and Hazel had announced that the new kid was Ozpin and he’d be killing him. Mercury hadn’t cared much then, too busy fighting for his life against the other kids who’d gotten surprisingly good since Beacon. He’d learned the kid was Ozpin, he’d known he was standing in the way of Salem and himself and victory, and that had been that.

Until earlier today, when the screams of a boy younger than he’d been at the Fall of Beacon echoed down the passageways of the whale, and Mercury had hidden his gut-wrenching dread (he’d learned, all those years under his father) and he’d felt, deep in his bones, that old instinct to  _ run _ .

Gods above, Oscar was small. Mercury was going to have to move quick, and he could see now that the kid’s size wouldn’t be a hindrance. His green jacket was ripped from the hound’s teeth, scuffed from Hazel’s fists and feet. Wrapped tightly around him as his only shield, crusted with blood in some places that he wanted to believe belonged to the whale. Although on second thought, being flung into a wall was worse than getting cuts, at least in his opinion. Which was another thing to consider; what kind of damage did he have right now? Anything broken would likely make him cry out in pain if Mercury moved him, but there was no other way to get him out. And he was decent at patching people up, but the kind of health care Oscar would need was probably beyond him. Who knew what Salem had done to him? She had power beyond Mercury’s comprehension, and she’d likely used it on Oscar, because he was also Ozpin, which was still a concept that hurt Mercury’s brain, and -

He needed to focus. He couldn’t do Oscar any good if he was spiraling like this.

Fuck, but this was  _ stupid _ .

No turning back, though. The only thing maybe worse than stealing Oscar out from under Salem’s nose would be the suspicion piled on him if he was found in here just staring at the tortured kid. And doing nothing. That would also be bad.

“Right,” he murmured, stepping forwards. The chains above clanged gently, like a warning system that he hadn’t tripped yet; part of him imagined them lashing down at the ceiling, piercing his remaining body with black hooks and poison and leaving him to the mercy of the others. If he was lucky, they’d rip him apart before Salem could get to him. Logically, he knew they’d never deprive her the satisfaction of causing another death.

Crouching, he wormed an arm under Oscar’s neck, another beneath his knees. Nothing. The whale groaned, the chains shuddering in response, but Oscar didn’t react at all. On the one hand, that made getting him out easier. On the other, it spoke badly of his condition.

It was a simple matter to lift Oscar into his arms. He didn’t weigh much - didn’t have a lot of muscle, still growing. It made Mercury sick to imagine Hazel and Salem attacking the kid the way his father used to attack him. It made him furious, really. 

He’d wanted to be top dog, but not if it meant becoming his father.

When he stood up and scooped Oscar off the ground, nothing continued to happen. He let out a shaky breath he hadn’t known he was holding, took in a steady one to steel his nerves, looked up, and saw - 

For a moment, he waited for her to speak, before remembering: Neo couldn’t.

“Um.” He sighed again. “I’d say this isn’t what it looks like, but…” 

Neo didn’t react. Everything was so fucking  _ still;  _ the whale, the room, Neo, the world. 

“I know I can’t take you, but I’d really appreciate it if you let me by.” He gestured with Oscar. “Kind of on a time crunch, here.”

Finally, she moved, tilting her head and swinging the parasol. Mercury shook his head. “I don’t know what -”

Neo snapped at him, effectively shutting him up, and then transformed into Ruby Rose. Then the faunus, and the Ice Queen, and the girl with the hammer, and even the kid with the sword, which would have been hilarious in any other moment because the guy was nearly Mercury’s height and Neo was fucking small. Finally, she transformed back to herself, eyebrows raised, and swung her parasol again.

“Yeah,” Mercury said this time, understanding. “Yeah, I’m gonna bring him to them, they can keep him safe.”

Because that was the crux of it. Mercury could keep himself safe, could run and hide the way his father had taught him to so Salem and Hazel and Emerald wouldn’t come for him. Oscar… couldn’t. And Mercury had grown enough since the day he’d joined Cinder to know there was one thing he wouldn’t stand for and it was seeing people like his father still existing.

He’d survive being alone. He’d done it before.

Neo stared for another moment, still swinging the parasol, and then grinned, skipping towards him. For a second, Mercury shifted, ready to use his legs to sprint faster than even Neo could keep up with; then she was reaching up to wrap an arm around his hand, and a sensation like cool glass ran over his skin as she did something with her Semblance. 

When he looked around, he couldn’t see Oscar.

“Oh.” It took a moment to click; the need to run, the panic, the strange focus that was coming from somewhere in the back of his head were all conspiring against him. But he focused on Oscar’s weight and shifted him into a fireman’s carry over a shoulder instead, freeing up the arm on Neo’s side so they could link arms. She smirked and gestured grandly towards the exit with her parasol, and with one more fortifying breath, Mercury stepped forwards.

One bonus of having them all stay inside a giant whale: crossing paths wasn’t likely. At one point they heard Tyrian laughing hysterically, along with disturbingly fleshy sounds of Grimm dismemberment. Salem, Hazel, Emerald, and Cinder, on the other hand, were just… nowhere to be found.

It felt almost too easy.  _ Fuck _ , but Mercury could get paranoid sometimes. Marcus had done that to him.

They reached the landing bay, also known as the gaping hole in the whale’s side where the ribs turned into flat platforms, and Mercury nearly laughed at the sight that greeted him, because of  _ course _ she’d somehow had the same idea.

Cinder had done that much for the two of them, at least.

“This - Mercury?” Emerald said slowly, standing up. Mercury didn’t miss how her hands twitched towards her guns, or how Hazel was standing silent and stony over her shoulder in the way that meant he was feeling conflicted. His presence made Mercury's skin prickle, but he didn't show it. “What… are you doing here?”

“Depends.” Mercury subtly nudged Neo, hoping she’d know to keep the illusion up for now. “Care to share your plans with the class, Em?”

“Not particularly,” she said in a steely tone. Mercury was both taken aback and proud; she was finally standing up for herself. “But you’re a friend, Mercury, maybe the only one I have -” And here she choked up a little, which made Mercury feel things in a way he shoved aside to deal with later. “So I’ll tell you this much: I’m leaving. Hazel and me both, we’re getting out of this.”

Mercury almost did smile at that, an unnatural feeling. On his shoulder, Oscar started to stir, and any urge to smile faded away instantly.  _ Hazel and me both _ . 

He took a breath, deep and strong, shifting a foot slightly so he could speed off in a second if he needed to. Emerald looked alarmed, hands finally breaking for her guns, but she didn’t move as she saw Mercury’s gaze slide up and behind her.

“If it wasn’t obvious by now, Neo and I were planning the same thing,” he said. Emerald’s face lit up, like he’d made her year by inserting himself and Neo into their escapade. Which. “Or at least, I’m pretty sure Neo is. She just decided to help me, for all I know.” He was pretty sure the tiny girl was rolling her eyes. She was definitely swinging the parasol; he could see it out of the corner of his eye. “But if you’re coming too, Hazel, I need to know I can trust you with this.”

Neo took the hint and the illusion shimmered away, revealing Oscar on his shoulder. 

It was a calculated risk, letting Hazel know what was going on, but he really couldn't afford Hazel revealing them to Salem if he was left behind. He could see Hazel’s immediate reaction - eyes narrowing, teeth baring, ready to launch himself. Mercury held his ground, ready to run with Oscar and steal the ship from them all if he had to. Neo could probably get herself to the ship on her own, and Emerald - well, yeah, he didn’t want to leave her behind, but he’d made his choice. And his choice was Oscar.

Fuck, the fact that the man who’d beaten the crap out of the teen on his shoulder was  _ right in front of him _ was starting to grate on his nerves.

Hazel... wasn’t moving, though. Mercury looked away from him long enough to see that Emerald had put an arm out, between Mercury’s group and Hazel’s anger, and more importantly, Hazel was following the unspoken order.

Not happily. Actually, he looked like he was two seconds from shoving past her. But he was looking at Emerald as if he was trying to remember something, and Emerald’s face crumpled slightly as she looked up at him. That seemed to break him; with a massive sigh, he slumped his shoulders and stepped back.

“We’ll talk about this later,” he growled, and that was enough for Mercury, for now.  


“Come on,” Emerald insisted, waving them over. She kept her hands on her guns, standing sentry as Neo slipped into the driver’s seat and Mercury gathered Oscar onto a bench, standing guard over the kid in lieu of taking a seat himself. Emerald boarded last, sitting next to Hazel and keeping a hand on his arm. Mercury wasn’t sure what that was about, but it seemed to help.

They were silent as Neo activated the ship and glided away from the whale, smoothly as if the ship was her parasol. Five minutes out, in the midst of the Grimm storm, she tapped the console to get their attention, then transformed into a flight attendant outfit. Her smirk spelled success, and her brown eye closed in a wink before she turned back to the front of the ship.

He’d done it. Holy shit, he’d done it,  _ fuck. _

Mercury slid down onto the floor, breathing heavily. He hadn’t felt like this since the moments after he’d killed Marcus. Relief, crushing as the environment he’d just left; terror, at the future and himself; anger, joy, numbness, a swirl of butterflies in his stomach and a sudden desire to just pass out for a bit.

But Oscar coughed weakly behind him, snapping Mercury out of his mind. He scrambled to find a medkit - surely a military ship had one? Was this a military ship, even? It was Atlesian, which meant chances were higher -  _ aha _ . He stood up and turned back to Oscar, whose eyes fluttered open.

Seeing him look at Hazel with the same fear Mercury had learned to dismiss by the age of eight broke his heart. Or the remnants of it, at least, because he’d spent too much of his life pretending to not have one to acknowledge it now.

“Ozpin,” Hazel ground out.

“W-what?” The higher-pitched voice that came from Oscar was, well, Oscar. “What’s hap-” He winced, and Mercury clocked damaged ribs, probably fractured.

“No talking,” he said sternly, pulling antibiotic cream and numbing agent out of the medkit. “Your ribs are screwed up enough without you straining them. Neo’s flying. We’re getting the fuck out, and I wasn’t about to leave a kid like you behind.”

Oscar stared up at him as he clutched the medical supplies. His eyes were wide with a wisdom that seemed far too old for his age, but somehow, Mercury didn’t think it was Ozpin looking at him. 

“Thank you,” he said simply, and Mercury nodded jerkily before moving to remove Oscar’s jacket and shirt. 

He could practically feel Hazel radiating anger and self-doubt and grief behind him, knew Emerald was going to do her best to soothe and monitor him. Neo was… honestly, he barely gave a shit about Neo. The girl could hold her own. Later, maybe, he’d admit to himself that he at least didn’t want to see her dead.

Later held a lot of things. Later, he’d think about how important Emerald actually was to him, and he’d decide what he thought of Hazel and his actions, and he’d come up with a plan of action to get Oscar to his friends and keep himself safe. Later, maybe, he’d tell Hazel and Neo about what he’d been through growing up, so they’d know why he’d risked his own life for Oscar. Later.

Right now, though, he was going to do something he knew by heart: he was going to keep running, and he was going to help a child heal from the things they hadn’t deserved.


End file.
